Guardian - Top Ten Specials Songs

[BadFish]

http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2015/mar/11/the-specials-10-of-the-best

There area good few missing here

Nite Klub?
You're Wondering Now?
Message to Rudy?
Up to You?

 

[The Modfather]

Rat race and Pearl's cafe should be in there

 

[TonyW]

Nite Klub and Message, definitely.
And wasn't Nelson Mandela The Special AKA - not the same.

 

[studio150]

Should Nelson Mandela be included given that it was by The Special Aka.

Agree with Message to you Rudy, also Enjoy yourself

 

[midnight_rendezvous]

No skinhead symphony? Tragic.

 

[The Modfather]

No concrete jungle either ?

 

[BadFish]

Trouble is finding a top 10 from such a prolifically brilliant band is always going to be hard. Clearly the Guardian have tried to move away from the raucous punk ska early stuff and try to find gems in the later stuff. Possibly trying a little to hard to be a bit alternative with their choices.

Anyway it got me listening to them at high volume on my way to work this morning so a win for me I feel

 

[BN9 BHA]

Number 6- international Jet Set and number 9- What I Like Most About You Is Your Girlfriend, both in the top ten and not really favourites of mine.
But no - Nite Klub, You're Wandering now, Message To You Rudy, Concrete Jungle and Enjoy Yourself

Racist Friend is also a good one, not sure if that's Special AKA though.

At least Friday Night Saturday Morning is in there with my favourite line from a Specials song.

"If I had lipstick on my shirt / instead of piss-stains on my shoes"

 

[CorgiRegisteredFriend]

Pearl's Cafe, Why and all the live tracks on the Too Much Too Young E.P even though they are covers.

 

[TonyW]

Rat race and Pearl's cafe should be in there

Rat Race for sure.

 

[The Large One]

Rat Race for sure.

You know you're wasting your time.

 

[Lower West Stander]

Concrete Jungle should be there.

Never really liked Ghost Town.

 

[dennis]

Agree Rat Race should be and Message to You shouldnt just be in it should be near the top.
Little Bitch is a personal favourite of mine as well.

 

[seagully]

Anyone going to see them in the Summer? Thinking of going to their Kew Gardens show. Bit disappointed they aren't doing a show in Cov.

 

[Trufflehound]

Should Nelson Mandela be included given that it was by The Special Aka.

They were called The Special AKA when Gangsters came out as well.

 

[Trufflehound]

As a live experience, Guns of Navarone gets the crowd going as much as anything else.

 

[SAC]

Anyone going to see them in the Summer? Thinking of going to their Kew Gardens show. Bit disappointed they aren't doing a show in Cov.

They are brilliant live but I can't imagine that Kew Gardens is the right setting. Wait 'till they play Brixton Academy again and get stalls tickets.

 

[The Maharajah of Sydney]

1 - Monkey Man
2 - Message To You Rudy
3 - Nite Club
4 - Too Much To Young
5 - Gangsters
6 - Too Hot
7 - Concrete Jungle
8 - Enjoy Yourself
9 - Longshot Kick The Bucket
10 - Skinhead Moonstomp

They're not all originals but boy do they perform them stunningly well.
Sung 'live', "Monkey Man" is just about the best experience you can possibly have going to a concert - every single person up on their feet !

 

[Julio]

I don't think there's a Specials tune I don't love. I must have listened the first two LPs a thousand times or more, and still remember waiting for Woolworths in Lancing to open before going to school to get them when they came out. On the top 10, there's probably the best live numbers - which are mostly classic covers; Monkey Man, Longshot, Pressure Drop, Moonstomp, Enjoy Yourself, Message to You etc (is there another band with a higer %age of covers versus original material?) Then the top 10 of their own material...which I would say was:

1. Too Much too young
2. Little Bitch
3. Rat Race
4. Gangsters
5. Do Nothing
6. Pearl's Cafe
7. Hey, little rich girl
8. Ghost Town
9. Dawning (of a new era)
10. Nite Klub

But, that's a tough 10 to choose. Ghost Town's a tricky listen, but such an iconic song which defined a point in time. Don't count second incarnation of Special AKA, bit like putting Style Council in a Jam top 10 - some good songs on their own merits, but not in the same class as 79-81 vintage.

 

[brakespear]

Think Nite Klub and Guns of Navarone should be on there. International Jet Set is probably my favourite Specials track. Also like Stereotype but the Sterotypes less so (much less so )